9 awesome facts about Hierbas Ibicencas

It’s hard to come to Ibiza and not cross paths with a chupito of hierbas. But what is hierbas?

Hierbas Ibicencas is a herbal liqueur made in Ibiza with different herbs and botanicals that grow around the island. It’s usually taken as a digestif after lunch or dinner – although the people of Ibiza often find many more reasons to drink hierbas other than that! It has been made on the island for generartions, with each family having their own ‘special’ recipe.

Here, we will share with you 9 awesome facts about Hierbas Ibicencas:

1) Hierbas ‘Ibicencas’ is protected by law

Hierbas Ibicencas has protected geographical status which came into effect in 1997. If you want to call your product Hierbas ‘Ibicencas’ (with the emphasis on the Ibicencas at the end) you have to register as a manufacturer with the local government. There are certain rules that apply, but the most important one is that the Hierbas has to be made in Ibiza. This helps protect the genuine products made in Ibiza and helps ensure a high standard is met.

2) Hierbas literally means herbs in Spanish

This one probably isn’t much of a surprise to all those Spanish speakers out there. However it can create confusion when you are speaking in Spanish and you mention you just need to go to the shops to pick up some “hierbas” – is that hierbas (herbs) to cook dinner with, or hierbas (liqueur) to drink because someone finished the bottle the other day and didn’t replace it? Ah, the problems you can run into when living in Ibiza.

3) Odd number of botanicals

Some say that Hierbas Ibicencas can only be made with an odd number of botanicals. You can be sure that this belief came from the good old days when people worshiped and wanted to appease the many gods and saints that were, and as such collecting only an odd number of herbs on the morning after a full moon before the day of San Juan became something of good luck. However we think there is always a way to get around this – creative counting. Traditionally Hierbas Ibicencas is an infusion of herbs in an anise based liqueur. So whether or not you count anise as one of the herbs could mean you always will have an odd number. Another trick would be to include juniper berries and a juniper twig as separate herbs, or just one juniper twig with berries on the twig. Creative counting. If only you could do that with your taxes…

4) Families closely guarded their secret recipe

Although the basics of Hierbas Ibicancas were widely known, the specifics were often a closely guarded family secret. This could range from the number of herbs used, they type of herb, when it was picked, infusion process, storage time, and sweetness. There are recipes around that call for 18 different herbs (we know, its not an odd number) all the way to 29 herbs. Traditionally all the botanicals are ones that can be found growing on the island, and usually wild, however some recipies have called for more exotic spices such as cloves, cinnamon and star anise – none of which can be found naturally on the island – but probably came as a result of the spice trade.

5) Ibiza is the perfect place

As if we didn’t know that already. However, there have been some studies that have shown due to the unique location of Ibiza it has the perfect conditions to grow medicinal herbs. This is due to the combination of latitude, climate, rainfall, sunlight hours, soil make up, long hot dry summers and mild wet winters. These conditions lead to herbs rich in oil content which makes them wonderfully aromatic and perfect for making hierbas. Its a phenomenon you can attest to when walking through the country side on a hot summers day when a gentle wind blows and you clearly pick up the scent of fennel or rosemary in the air.

6) It’s medicine

There is a long and colourful history where numerous alcoholic drinks were considered good for your health. Many claiming to cure all sorts of ailments under the sun, from headaches, stomach problems, fevers, sickness, even abortion! The main reason for this is due to alcohols excellent ability to extract the active compounds in plant botanicals as well as preserve them, thus making it an excellent vehicle to deliver these healing compounds.

Interestingly even Coca Cola started off as a tonic wine, claiming health benefits, but later reverted to a nonalcoholic syrup during prohibition in the United States, and is now a far cry from what it used to be.

Other versions of these old medicinal style alcohols are still around today such as Campari, Fernet Branca, Vermouths, bitters such as Angostura, and Palo – another liqueur that has its roots in the Balearic Islands based on cinchona bark and gentian root. Hierbas is of course another example one of these – all the herbs selected to make hierbas were based on their medicinal properties, many of them aiding digestion, which is why it is commonly offered as a shot, or a chupito, after a meal.

7) It’s a digestif

You probably already figured that out by now. The majority of the herbs selected for hierbas possess digestif properties. These compounds when entering the mouth and stomach promote the release of digestive enzymes, and extra digestive enzymes mean better digestion.

Take anise for example. Aniseeds are delightfully fragrant due to their high concentration of anethole, an essential oil. The seeds also contain other important compounds like acetophenone, p-anisaldehyde, anise alcohol, estragol, limonene and pinen. The seeds have also been used to reduce flatulence, cure sleeplessness, aid nursing mothers with the production of milk and to stimulate appetite. Aniseed can also improve digestion, alleviate cramps and reduce nausea. This botanical is used in a lot of liqueurs around the Mediterranean, such as Sambucca in Italy, Ouzo in Greece, Absinthe in France or Raki in Turkey – all of which are commonly taken after a meal to aid in digestion.

Another example, Peppermint (Mentha ×piperita), is also a well-known digestive herb for easing tummy troubles. Peppermint oil has been shown to work well to prevent dyspepsia and is a relaxant for the muscles of the intestinal wall.

8) It’s an aperitif

Wait, didn’t we cover that one already? Sort of. The difference between digestif and an aperitif is that an aperitif designed to get the gastric juices flowing before a meal in order to kick start the digestive process, hence it is usually taken before the meal rather than after. Typically aperitifs tend to be lower in alcohol and drier than the heavier and sweeter digestifs. However there are no hard and fast rules here, and if you want to have a hierbas before a meal to get things going, then the all those herbs in there will certainly do the trick.

9) Shhh… it’s actually good for you

Legally, any producers of any alcoholic product are not allowed to make any health claims on their products. It’s probably obvious why. But, like everything in life, the right thing in moderation can often lead to a lot of benefits. The medicinal properties of all the botanicals chosen in hierbas are well studied and not to be sniffed at, and these are all going to be present in your glass. Its common knowledge in Ibiza that a chupito of hierbas after a meal will help you digest, improve your mood, and even increase your longevity. So cheers, to good health!

So there you have it. Some awesome facts about Hierbas Ibicencas. Now you can’t say that you don’t know.

If you would like to get up close and personal with Hierbas Ibicencas and learn more about the wonderful digestif liqueur of the island then why not take part in our special hierbas workshop. You will get to try different home made hierbas recipes from around the island, we will go through all the different herbs with you (and help you find a way to make the number add up to an odd amount), and finally you will get to make and take home your very own bottle of Hierbas Ibicencas that you produced yourself.

Hierbas Workshop

Learn how to make the famous Hierbas Ibicencas – the famous liqueur of the island – in this fun and interactive workshop.

Hierbas is easy and fun to make, and you will be able to make your own bottle, label it, and show it off to your friends and family.

By Alchemist|
2016-07-31T15:18:49+00:00 July 31st, 2016|Uncategorised|Comments Off on 9 awesome facts about Hierbas Ibicencas